Made for grand travels

We took our dresses on the ultimate in-real-life test; entrusting them to the spirit from which our SS18 collection was created – to the ones who just to pack and go. Introducing the dresses that journey beautifully on the women who have turned travelling into their full-time way of life.SHOP All DRESSES

Amélie Blondiaux aka @hellolaroux

Amélie caught the travelling bug from her father. Following in his footsteps, Amélieturned worldly wandering into her fulltime job, by way of traveller trips and tips on blog hellolaroux.com. Our lace-up dress finds herin Senegal.

How did your journey start?

My love for travelling was born on the road! I used to accompany my father every weekend when I was younger. He was a transporter and I wanted to help. At that time, we used road maps. I would highlight the route in fluorescent pen, answer the phone and prepare our food. I loved and still love the sensation of the road; fresh landscapes and new ideas each day.

Where haven't you been, and are dying to go to?

What's always in your backpack?

I never leave without my camera (a canon 5D Mark IV) with two lenses: a wide angle and a 50mm for portraits and details. I always take my little notebook, headphones, lip balm, a bit of cash, and very often a beanie.

How did your journey start?

After graduating from university, I grew up really, really fast. a full-blown adult living in my big house at 29.Then I took a magical trip to Big Island, Hawaii. When I returned to work I cried. All day. So, a week later, I sold my house, got rid of my worldly possessions, quit my job, and bid farewell to responsible adulting.

After realizing how easy it was take off with just a suitcase, I did it again, and again. After Hawaii, I travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 15 months and visited 16 countries - I hiked to Machu Picchu, got tattooed by a Buddhist monk in Thailand, and lived out of a van in New Zealand.I've road tripped from Oregon to Florida, visited amazing beaches in Eastern Europe, flown in a hot air balloon over Turkey, and visited the Great Pyramids in Egypt. I'm now touring Namibia in a camper van.Next stop? Back to South East Asia!

What's it like to always be on the road?

It's hard. And easy. The hardest part is knowing that I can't live this way forever. Check back with me in a year to see if I've figured out how to make it work.It's easy to keep in touch with everyone back home through social media. It's easy to make new friends and it's easy not to get attached to 'things'. It's also too easy to take this amazing life for granted.

What's your number one tip for other female, solo travellers?

Trust your gut.If a situation is making you uncomfortable, it's okay to do what you need to in order to get out of it. After encountering a few 'hiccups' - including getting mugged at knifepoint in Argentina and robbed on a bus in Ecuador - I always pay attention to my intuition. If that means offending someone along the way, so be it.But don't be too paranoid; you're here to experience a new culture.Most people are lovely and have genuinely good intentions.

What's the one destination secret you're willing to disclose?

Every traveler should add The Wave to their bucket list - a swirling rock formation in an area called Coyote Buttes in northern Arizona. You'll find hundreds of spectacular photos online but it's not as well-known by those outside of the US.Only 20 people are allowed to enter the area each day. Ten permits are issued four months prior via online lottery and ten are issued a day before via an in-person lottery.It took us six days of entering an in-person lottery in the tiny remote town of Kanab, Utah, before finally scoring one of the elusive permits.

The Sahara silk beach dress looks even sunnier

The Sahara silk beach dress looks even sunnier against the coastal beauty of Normandy where we find Ukrainian Alina, a.k.a.@rrrudya. Her very mobile lifestyle was sparked by the global beauty captured in National Geographic magazine.

How did your journey start?

My journey started when I was just nine years old. When my dad bought me an issue of National Geographic magazine back from the USA. That's when I realized that I wanted to travel the world and tell stories through my pictures.

Are you always travelling solo?

What's the one destination secret you're willing to disclose?

I'm not sure if this is such a well-kept secret, but I am fascinated with Bolivia, especially with Salar de Uyuni – the biggest salt flats in the world. It's relatively hard to get there, so there still are no huge crowds of tourists. The landscapes surrounding the flats are similar to ones you can find in Iceland – with geysers, hot springs and sulfur streams.

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